1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pointer movement display. More specifically, the present invention relates to moving and displaying a pointer to allow a user to select a desired available object from multiple available objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
With digital home electronics incorporating an information processing device, a user uses a menu screen to select a desired process. The menu screen is designed in such a way that as a user selects one of multiple objects associated with respective processes, the selected process is executed.
Methods that allow a user to select a desired one of multiple objects included in the menu screen include a method by which a coordinate position corresponding to a desired object is input on a display device with a mouse or through a touch panel. However, there are some devices to which an input device capable of directly inputting a coordinate position, such as a mouse or a touch panel, cannot be adapted. An input device which can input coordinates of a position irrelevant to an object, even if it is capable of inputting a coordinate position corresponding to a desired object on a display device, may not be so useful.
The methods that allow a user to select a desired one of multiple objects included in the menu screen also include a method by which pointers (anchors) are placed at multiple objects, displayed on the menu screen, and when a “Set input” is made, the objects pointed to with the pointers are selected. The pointer can be so designed as to be movable among multiple objects with the manipulation of up, down, right and left direction keys equipped on the input device. An issue is how to move the pointer in response to direction data input.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H6-131119 discloses that the pointer position is moved if there is another object in any of the up, down, right and left directions corresponding to direction data input through an input device (joystick 16) with respect to an object (functional button) currently pointed to with a pointer. Japanese Patent Publication No. 3249505 discloses that when the manipulation of a mouse causes a pointer to move off one end of the display area (movable area), the pointer position is moved to the other end.
However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H6-131119 simply considers the movement of a pointer in the input direction of a direction key. With a pointer positioned on an object displayed at the right-hand end of the display area, for example, when the right direction key is further manipulated, the pointer does not move. If the pointer is to be moved to an object to the left of the object on which the pointer is currently positioned, the key manipulation should be changed to the manipulation of the left direction key. The necessity to change the direction key to be manipulated by a user when moving the pointer reduces the operability for the user.
In the art disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3249505, when a rightward movement is input through a mouse with the pointer positioned at the right-hand end of the display area, for example, the pointer moves to the left-hand end of the display area. If the rightward manipulation causes the pointer to suddenly move to the left-hand end, the user may become uncertain of where in the display area the pointer is positioned in a sequence of continuous movements.